May 2023: Our Top 3 Most Viewed Posts About the Local Food Scene
Eighteen more ramen shops, dozens of new poke and one outstanding loco moco.
No. 3: Hokkaido Ramen Festival Is Bringing 18 Ramen Shops to Waikīkī
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Published May 4, 2023
O‘ahu has well over two dozen ramen shops—and still, when Thomas Obungen wrote that 18 more from Hokkaido were popping up on a rotating schedule in Waikīkī, this post soared. For locals, the combination of noodles, $10 bowls and validated one-hour parking in Waikīkī seems like a golden ticket. Which, given these inflationary times, we could all use. Especially when it comes with a pat of butter.
No. 2: Save the Date: Frolic’s 2023 Poke Fest Presented by Fresh Island Fish
Photo: Thomas Obungen
Published April 14, 2023
Here’s my chance to thank the 4,500 of you who came to Ka Makana Ali‘i on a breezy Saturday in May and all the poke vendors and dessert, snack and drink sellers, the sponsors and organizers and volunteers who made Frolic’s 6th Poke Fest the happiest, most successful yet. A special shoutout to Grant “Chuggy Bear” Shindo, who launched the concept back when he was Frolic’s point man on poke. Chuggy moved on to other pursuits years ago, but his smiling hello at the Frolic tent and his offer to help with whatever we needed, were more appreciated than he could know.
No. 1: Taka’s Box Lunch May Have the Best Loco Moco in Hawai‘i
Photo: Gregg Hoshida
Published May 16, 2023
“Yep, still damn good.” Gregg Hoshida’s text message, sent with a photo of lunch on the go in the front seat of his car, was all I needed. A longtime Frolic contributor and loco moco connoisseur, Gregg had mentioned a recent encounter with a loco moco so outstanding it was a contender for Our Top 5 best loco moco in Hawai‘i—which, when Gregg co-authored it in 2018, included three neighbor island eateries and since-closed Like Like Drive Inn. Now, after a second visit, he’d just confirmed it: Taka’s Box Lunch in Mapunapuna was worthy of the ranking. It’s not a claim made lightly. Gregg’s job takes him all over the island and all over the state, and when the craving hits, he’ll frequently grab a loco moco. Taka’s was so good, it reignited in Gregg a quest to find the best. Stay tuned.
